About Saints Joseph & Michael · Union City, New Jersey
Saints Joseph & Michael is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Roman Catholic parish serving about 1,500 registered families in Union City, New Jersey, in the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Newark. The parish is the 1982 successor of two earlier congregations: St. Joseph's, founded in 1889 for the German community, and the historic Passionist-run St. Michael's Monastery parish. After a devastating four-alarm fire on March 4, 2017 destroyed the bell tower and gutted the sanctuary, the church underwent a $5 million restoration, was rededicated by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin on December 15, 2018, and today serves as one of the largest Hispanic parishes in the Archdiocese of Newark.
- Established
- 1889
- Patron
- Saint Joseph and Saint Michael the Archangel
- Rector
- Rev. Aro Nathan
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Newark
Why belong here
Saints Joseph & Michael is a welcoming, ethnically diverse Catholic community that worships in both English and Spanish, with multiple daily and weekend Masses to fit any schedule and a Saturday Vigil that includes a 4:00 pm Mass for the Bella Vista community as well as a Neo-Catechumenate Mass. The parish offers CCD religious education, sacramental preparation for Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation (often in partnership with Mother Seton School), and a Hispanic Catholic tradition of healing Masses and lay ministries — all centered in a landmark 1875 church that was lovingly rebuilt after the 2017 fire and rededicated by Cardinal Tobin in 2018.
Mass times at Saints Joseph & Michael
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Parish Identity & Mission
Saints Joseph & Michael describes itself in its published Mission Statement as 'a welcoming and ethnically diverse community of God's people' whose mission is 'to actively preach, teach, and bear witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ … to worship together and be a visible sign of unity and fraternal love through ministry, sharing and love of all.' The same statement is published in Spanish on the parish website, reflecting the bilingual character of the parish. The patron saints are Saint Joseph and Saint Michael the Archangel, whose feast days (March 19 and September 29) frame the parish's devotional year.
- Mission: preach, teach, and bear witness to the Gospel
- Bilingual (English / Spanish) parish identity
- One of the largest Hispanic parishes in the Archdiocese of Newark
History
The parish was born from the 1982 merger of two earlier congregations: St. Joseph's Parish (founded 1889 for the German overflow from the Passionist monastery) and the Parish of the Monastery of Saint Michael the Archangel (Passionist-run since 1875). For more than 80 years the community presented the famous 'Veronica's Veil' Lenten play, ending in 1999. After the catastrophic fire of March 4, 2017 the church was gutted, the bell tower collapsed, and the parish worshipped next door in the Veterans' Memorial Public School for nearly two years before rededication on December 15, 2018.
- 1889 – St. Joseph's Parish founded for German Catholics
- 1875 – St. Michael's Church (Passionist) completed; designed by Patrick Keely
- 1934 – Fire destroys the dome and Meière murals at St. Michael's; rebuilt 1935
- 1982 – St. Joseph and St. Michael parishes merged into Saints Joseph & Michael
- March 4, 2017 – Four-alarm fire destroys the bell tower and guts the church
- December 15, 2018 – Cardinal Tobin rededicates the restored church
- November 6, 2022 – 40th anniversary of the merger celebrated
The 2017 Fire & Restoration
On the night of March 4, 2017 a fire that began in an adjacent apartment building on Summit Avenue spread to the church, collapsed the steeple and bell tower into Central Avenue, and displaced roughly 50 residents. A two-year-old boy died in the apartment fire. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin was on the scene that night and promised Fr. Aro Nathan, 'I won't abandon you.' Insurance-funded restoration work — including a new roof, tile floor, pews, plaster stabilization by Historic Plaster Conservation Services, and a new bell tower fabricated in Kentucky — was completed in time for rededication on December 15, 2018. The original stained-glass windows survived and still reflect the German origins of the parish.
- Fire date: March 4, 2017
- Estimated cost: $5 million
- Funded by insurance coverage
- Rededicated December 15, 2018 by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R.
Clergy & Staff
The parish is led by Father Aro Nathan, pastor since 2013, who also serves on the Union City Board of Education and speaks ten languages. He is assisted by Parochial Vicar Father Fernando Echeverri, Deacons Asterio Velasco and Ricardo Flores, parish secretary Fred Reich, and business manager Steven Barreiro.
- Rev. Aro Nathan — Pastor / Párroco (since 2013)
- Rev. Fernando Echeverri — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Asterio Velasco
- Deacon Ricardo Flores
- Fred Reich — Secretary
- Steven Barreiro — Business Manager
Faith Formation & Religious Education (CCD)
The parish operates a CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) program for children attending non-Catholic schools, with annual registration forms and a required parents' meeting held in Sacred Heart Hall. First Holy Communion and Confirmation are prepared for in coordination with Mother Seton School and celebrated at parish Masses — for example, 74 young people of the parish received Confirmation from Bishop Manuel A. Cruz in May 2019.
- CCD Classes (English and Spanish tracks)
- Registration for CCD Classes 22-23 (downloadable form)
- CCD Parents Meeting in Sacred Heart Hall
- First Communion preparation with Mother Seton School
- Confirmation preparation (parish-wide, 74 confirmed in 2019)
Sacraments
Forms for Baptism, Confirmation, New Parishioner registration, Sacramental Certificate requests, and volunteering are available on the parish website in English and Spanish and at the Rectory. The parish celebrates Baptisms communally (English at 9:30 AM and Spanish at 12:30 PM in a recent cycle) following a Baptism Preparation session.
- Baptism / Bautismo — Formulario de Registro de Bautismo
- Confirmation / Confirmación
- First Holy Communion / Primera Comunión
- Marriage / Matrimonio (preparation required)
- Sacramental Certificate Request (English & Spanish forms)
Devotions & Special Masses
In addition to the regular weekly schedule, the parish offers a monthly Healing Mass (Misa de Sanación) celebrated by guest priests such as Father Claudio Antecini, a Saturday Neo-Catechumenate Mass, and bilingual preparation sessions. Live-streamed Masses are broadcast via Facebook Live and YouTube for the homebound.
- Healing Mass / Misa de Sanación (monthly, 7:00 PM)
- Neo-Catechumenate Mass (Saturday vigil)
- Baptism Preparation / Preparación de Bautismo
- Live-stream Mass on Facebook & YouTube
Music & Liturgy
Music is a defining feature of parish worship — the 40th anniversary Mass in 2022 was animated by four different musical groups in English and Spanish. Father Aro Nathan is himself a singer and has served as choir master; the parish encourages parishioners with musical gifts to volunteer for liturgical music ministry.
- Four musical groups (English and Spanish)
- Choir master tradition dating back to Fr. Nathan's ordination in Pondicherry (1982)
- Multilingual liturgical singing
Parish Life & Outreach
Saints Joseph & Michael is a community-centered parish: after Sunday Masses the parish sells food (often raising about $400 a weekend), and the parish has run a car raffle to raise funds during rebuilding. During the COVID-19 pandemic Fr. Aro initially livestreamed every Mass before cutting back as attendance recovered to roughly 75% of pre-pandemic levels. An active evangelization program of 'knocking on doors' is used to bring Catholics back to the pews.
- Volunteer program (Solicitud de Voluntario)
- Food sales after Sunday Masses
- Parish car raffle fundraiser
- Door-to-door evangelization outreach
- Care calls to elderly and homebound parishioners
Visit, Contact & Office Hours
The parish office is located at the Rectory, 1314 Central Ave, Union City, NJ 07087-3124, and is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM (same hours published in Spanish: Lunes–Viernes 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM). The parish can be reached by phone at 201-865-2325 (fax 201-348-4412) or by email at [email protected]. The official website at ssjmnj.org carries weekly bulletins, Mass schedules, forms, and event listings.
- Address: 1314 Central Ave, Union City, NJ 07087-3124
- Phone: 201-865-2325 / Fax: 201-348-4412
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Mon–Fri 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM
- Facebook: SS Joseph & Michael Parish
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Aro Nathan2013–present
Born July 7, 195_; ordained July 7, 1982 at Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Pondicherry, India; served 18 years in the Archdiocese of Pondicherry before coming to the United States; speaks 10 languages including English, Spanish and Tamil; in 2021 appointed by Mayor Brian Stack to the Union City Board of Education.